More Than A Job
by gothicbutterfly95
Summary: Life at the villa as seen through the eyes of the housekeeper.
1. Prologue

**This was written as part of a prompt from my TSOM Forum, on the topic of Domestic Life. We had all pretty much agreed that Frau Schmidt needed way more credit than she gets, so this is the result. **

* * *

Her father had been a sea captain, too. She supposed it was one of the reasons she had stayed with the von Trapp family as long as she had. It certainly wasn't money. If she wanted more money, she would have left this family long ago. But the fact that her employer was exactly the same as her father had helped her connect with these children in a way no one else could.

Consequently she had seen this family through everything; their greatest triumphs and their greatest sorrows. She'd seen the Captain and his wife through the first few blissful years of their marriage and then the overwhelming joy with the birth of their first child...and the six that followed her. She'd seen the entire household struggle when little Liesl caught scarlet fever and then the relief everyone felt when she recovered, only for Louisa to catch the virus a short while later, and following her, Baroness von Trapp who had died within a month.

* * *

The children were lonely and miserable, but Louisa in particular was inconsolable; believing herself responsible for her mother's death, and as the Captain had been too broken-hearted, she had been the one who had comforted the poor child until she felt somewhat better. But she had never fully healed and she doubted she would ever be the same.

* * *

When the Captain began to get a grip on reality once more, he decided to hire a governess to look after the children full time since he knew Frau Schmidt couldn't keep up her housekeeping duties _and_ look after seven unruly children. However it didn't make much difference as the children merely saw this as their father closing himself off further from them; making them automatically resent the governesses, who were turned out of the house almost instantly due to a variety of tricks played; spiders in Fraulein Hedwig's bed, glue on Fraulein Josephine's toothbrush, a snake in Fraulein Helga's pocket, switching Fraulein Rosa's shampoo with whipped cream and several other pranks. And, as soon as the governess left, Frau Schmidt was left to care for the children until their father found the next governess.

Around this time the Captain introduced a strict naval ritual for the entire household; forcing his children to dress in sailor suits and march about the grounds and the house, controlling them with a bosun's whistle. Even little Gretl. She was only three at the time. Frau Schmidt had often wondered if he started it as a punishment for the way they treated their governesses or if it was the only way he knew how to cope.

* * *

Life went on like this for many years. The only things that indicated a passage of time were the aging of the children and the coming and going of the various governesses.

Things had started look up when Max had introduced the Captain to one of his high-society friends; Baroness Elsa Schrader. From then on it seemed like the Captain had a purpose in life, although, to Frau Schmidt's disappointment they did not include his children. As the Captain and the Baroness became closer he would often travel to Vienna and visit her, staying for rather long periods of time. Unfortunately this only seemed to upset the children even more.

Earlier this year the Captain seemed to be thinking very serious about asking the Baroness to become his bride. Frau Schmidt knew as soon as she found out that her employer would never love her like his first wife, but she supposed no harm could come from having a mother figure in the house. At least it would put an end to the governesses. Although, she had heard that the Baroness wasn't very fond of children and with the Captain's children being who they were, she couldn't help being a little apprehensive.

* * *

So after nineteen years of working in the von Trapp villa, Frau Schmidt had thought she couldn't possibly see any more. But as soon as Fraulein Maria stepped into the house she had been proved wrong. She'd never seen anything like Fraulein Maria, who was so unlike all the previous governesses; a naive young women, fresh from the convent of all places. If she hadn't been informed prior to meeting her, Frau Schmidt would never have guessed that she was a postulant; she was so vivacious and full of life.

Exactly what the von Trapp family needed.


	2. Chapter 1

The Captain had already left for Vienna when Frau Schmidt woke up the next morning. This did not surprise her; despite needing to wake up early given all the housekeeping duties she had, the Captain had always woken at the crack of dawn and whenever he had things to do, he would do them literally as soon as he woke up.

* * *

However Frau Schmidt was also surprised to discover that Fraulein Maria was up early. While she would not have found this unusual for most women in the convent, in the brief time she had known the twelfth governess, she had come to the obvious conclusion that this young woman was no ordinary postulant.

"Good morning, Frau Schmidt," she said, greeting the housekeeper cheerfully as she descended the stairs into the foyer. She was still wearing that plain, grey dress; the one she had arrived in the day before, but her eyes were twinkling with life and when she smiled her entire face lit up.

"Good morning, Fraulein Maria. I trust you slept well?"

"Oh yes," said Fraulein Maria. "I've never slept in such a comfortable bed."

Frau Schmidt smiled at the younger woman. "Well, I'm glad you like it. Now, the Captain has already left for Vienna to visit the Baroness. He left a note saying that he'd been back in two and a half weeks, with the Baroness and Max Detweiller."

"Who's Max Detwei- oh, is he the 'Uncle Max the children were referring to last night?" she asked.

Frau Schmidt nodded. "Yes. He and the Captain have been friends since they were children. He was actually the one who introduced the Captain to the Baroness."

"Oh," Fraulein Maria said. "I see."

"The Captain also left a note for you about what he wants to happen as far as the children are concerned when he and the Baroness and Herr Detweiller arrive," Frau Schmidt said. She withdrew a piece of paper from one of the pockets in her skirt and handed it to Maria, who skimmed over it's contents quickly and nodded hesitantly.

"Well," Frau Schmidt said, bringing Fraulein Maria's focus back to the present. "I should let you know that breakfast will be served in half an hour, so the children will probably need to be awoken within the next few minutes.

At that the governess nodded and headed up the stairs to attend to the children while Frau Schmidt recommenced her housekeeping duties.

* * *

After breakfast, Frau Schmidt helped Fraulein Maria get the children settled with their morning studies, before heading over to the wing of the house where the guests slept to begin readying the rooms for Herr Detweiller and the Baroness.

Although the Baroness had never visited the villa before, the housekeeper knew it was in her best interests to begin preparing the room she would be staying in. Of course, once the Captain proposed and they were married, the Baroness would move into the master suite, but for now she was just a guest; and Frau Schmidt had been working for the von Trapp's long enough to know that people like the Baroness were _very_ particular about things such as living arrangements.

She had just finished dusting the room for Herr Detweiller and was heading down to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea before she had lunch and began her afternoon duties, when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fraulein Maria in her bedroom.

She was sitting on her bed, sewing an article of clothing. But Frau Schmidt had delivered all of the material the Captain had acquired for the governesses new dresses to Fraulein Maria's room only the night before and the material she was using was certainly not anything she had given the younger woman last night. It almost looked as though it was- but it couldn't be. But when she looked closer she saw that the so-called 'material' was in fact the drapes from the windows. She remember telling Fraulein Maria last night how 'new ones had been ordered' to replace the old drapes.

Fraulein Maria must have sensed the housekeeper staring at her, because she set down her sewing and looked up, straight into Frau Schmidt's face.

"What are you sewing, Fraulein Maria?" asked Frau Schmidt. She hoped her voice didn't sound too condescending.

But Fraulein Maria only smiled. "Playclothes," she said determinedly. "For the children. I said I want to do it, and do it I shall. The children seem thrilled by the idea."

Frau Schmidt nodded. "Yes, well, as I said last night, it's been years since there has been music or fun in the household. The children haven't been allowed to act like children since their mother passed away."

"That's so sad."

Frau Schmidt nodded sadly and turned to leave the room, but the governess's voice stopped her.

"Frau Schmidt," she asked. "I was wondering if it would be possible for us to have lunch outside? The sky's so blue today and I really don't want to force the children to stay indoors on the rare occasions they can spend out in the open."

Frau Schmidt considered the question for a minute. Dining outside was something else the children had not done since their mother had died. But looking at Fraulein Maria she knew she was right; it rained in Salzburg the majority of the year. Today was a perfectly clear day, and the children should take advantage of that. And besides, it was a harmless exercise and what the Captain didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Certainly," she said. "I'll let the cook know now." At that, she turned and exited the room, smiling as she went.

* * *

"I must say," Frau Schmidt said, relaxing back into her chair and sipping her tea. "I didn't expect you to get up as early as you did." It was after dinner and Fraulein Maria had settled the children into bed and she and the housekeeper were now sitting in the kitchen sharing a cup of tea.

"Well, it was my first day here," Fraulein Maria replied. "And, as I said to the children yesterday, I've never been a governess before. I want to make sure I had plenty of time to get everything right."

"I see," mused Frau Schmidt. She sighed deeply. "I have seen this family through everything, and I must say, you've done more for the children in twenty-four hours than the other eleven governesses have done in the entire time they were employed. However, if you are still not convinced that you're doing the right thing, I want you to know I will be happy to help you out as much as I can Fraulein Maria."

"Oh, thank you so much. But, Frau Schmidt, don't feel like you have to call me Fraulein," she said. "I understand that the Captain has to, but I think I'd feel better is you just called me Maria."

"All right," Frau Schmidt said. "Likewise, I'd be happy for you to call me Lili. I've worked in this house so long that even the Captain does it now. Although, if you don't mind, don't mention that to the children. The Captain is still insistent that they refer to the house staff formally."

"I completely understand," Maria said. "Lili it is."

* * *

**First off, I'm SO sorry this took so long, but my laptop hasn't been working and it took me forever to get it to co-operate long enough to copy this onto a USB so I could continue typing it up on my other computer. It shouldn't take me anywhere near as long to do the rest. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Yes, for those who picked up on it, I did call Frau Schmidt 'Lili' because of Julie Andrews' character in 'Darling Lili'. Please leave me some feedback, because I'll decide whether or not to refer to Frau Schmidt as 'Lili' based on your opinions. **


	3. Chapter 2

Frau Schmidt woke extra early on the day the Captain was expected home from Vienna. When he had telephoned the previous day he had said that he was expecting to arrive back in Salzburg with the Baroness and Herr Detweiller around eleven o'clock and he would like brunch to be ready when they arrived. He also restated how important it was to him that the children were ready and presentable when he arrived.

Naturally, she had passed all this information onto Maria, who assured her the children would be ready to meet the Baroness at eleven o'clock. Not that Frau Schmidt was worried. Maria had been outstanding with the children these past couple of weeks. She would take them on outings all over Salzburg, or up to the Untersberg for picnics. She let them be children, something the housekeeper had not seen happen for almost five years, and had brought a whole new energy to the day-to-day running of life at the villa.

* * *

"Lili?" she had asked the previous night while the two women were sitting in the kitchen having a cup of tea. "I know the Captain will be returning tomorrow with the Baroness, but I was wondering if the weather's nice whether I could take the children out in the rowboat? I promise I'll have them back in time to get tidied up before the Captain arrives with his guests."

Frau Schmidt was glad the children once again had the opportunity to play and enjoy themselves, rather than being treated like Navy cadets. She could clearly see the children adored their new governess, and Frau Schmidt had grown to enjoy her company as well. Her enthusiasm for life was infectious, and although Frau Schmidt was dubious about the children being out of the house so close to when the Captain would be arriving with the Baroness, she couldn't say no.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and sunny and so, after breakfast, Maria and the children had headed out on the rowboat for a couple of hours. While the cook busied herself with preparing brunch for the Captain and his guests, Frau Schmidt went around the house making sure both the guest bedrooms were ready and the rest of the rooms were spotless. The only thing the Captain disliked more than coming home to an untidy house was coming home to find that the governess had disappeared again.

She was just finishing in the parlour and was on her way to the bathroom to freshen up before her employer got back when she heard the car pull up in the driveway. Looking at the clock on the wall she realised it was only 10.15. And Maria and the children were…

…out on the lake.

Internally she was panicking. If her first night at the villa was anything indication, it was quite clear the Captain did not approve of the twelfth governess. So he'd be furious if he came home and found that neither she, nor the children were here. But there was nothing she could do about it now, so she went to greet the Captain and his guests at the door. Maybe, just maybe, the Captain would be distracted enough in showing his soon-to-be-fiancée the villa that Maria and the children could get back before he noticed they were missing.

She didn't have high hopes though. Although she had come to know Maria very well and knew she could trust her (even with Maria telling her she'd had a habit of being late for everything when at the Abbey), she'd known her employer for a lot longer. She knew the Captain was a highly observant man who expected his orders to be followed through. And he had ordered that the children be ready when he arrived home with the Baroness, and Frau Schmidt had no doubt he'd be on the lookout for them.

* * *

She did her absolute best to appear calm and composed when she opened the door for the Captain, who entered holding the Baroness' hand, leading her across the threshold. Frau Schmidt had never met the Baroness before, but one look at her told the housekeeper everything she needed to know. From the way she carried herself and the aura she seemed to emit, Frau Schmidt knew that this woman was a socialite through and through, and her suspicions from day one were confirmed. This woman had absolutely no interest in becoming the mother to her employer's seven children.

"Welcome home, Captain," she said, before turning to the woman on his arm. "Nice to meet you, at last, Baroness Schraeder."

The Baroness just wrinkled her nose as she shrugged herself out of her travelling coat and removed her hat, handing them to Max, who placed them on a nearby chair.

"It's nice to see you again, Herr Detweiller," Frau Schmidt continued. "The cook is just finishing up with the food for brunch; it should be ready in about five minutes."

"Wonderful," said the Captain, before turning to his friend. "Max, do you think you can keep yourself out of trouble for that long. I want to show Elsa around the villa.

Max nodded, and the trio headed out the back doors.

By 10.30 and the children and Maria were still nowhere to be seen. However, the Captain hadn't asked his housekeeper, or any of the staff for that matter where they were, and Frau Schmidt was beginning to relax.

She was crossing the foyer, on her way to take the Baroness' bags up to her room and saw the Captain on the terrace with his guests. Max was sitting at the table, calmly working his way through his third helping of strudel, when the housekeeper heard those five words she'd been dreading: "I wonder where the children are?"

The Baroness said something to him, but Frau Schmidt couldn't make out the words. She closed her eyes and sighed. 'Hurry back, Maria,' she pleaded. 'Please.'

A minute later, the Captain had re-entered the building and had sought out Frau Schmidt.

"Lili," his tone was sharp. "Where are the children? And Fraulein Maria? I haven't seen her around either."

Frau Schmidt sighed before replying. "They took the boat out," she said. "I told Fraulein Maria to be back by eleven o' clock and she promised they would be. But you arrived home early, and it's still not even eleven now, so you can't be that mad, can you?"

"Mmhm," said the Captain, but he sounded unconvinced. "Lili; send Fraulein Maria into my office the minute she and the children arrive home. I'll take care of finding the children, since I want them to welcome the Baroness."

Frau Schmidt nodded, and headed towards the kitchen as the Captain exited the house through the back doors once again.

* * *

As it turned out, the Captain and the Baroness were still outside when Maria and the children arrived back in the rowboat. Well, fell out of the rowboat into the frigid lake was probably a more accurate way to put it. Frau Schmidt had managed to see everything from the second storey window. She knew Max had disappeared into the parlour, but she could see the Baroness and the Captain waiting for them at the gate. If she didn't know any better, Frau Schmidt would've said the Baroness was trying not to giggle, but the Captain was quite obviously less than amused.

With one look at his sodden children, and a sharp blow of the whistle he had ordered them into their routine straight line and after a quick, flustered introduction to the Baroness, inside to dry off and make themselves presentable.

He had asked Frau Schmidt to send Fraulein Maria to wait in his office, but it seemed he was angry enough to settle things then and there. The conversation got more heated and quickly escalated into an argument; Frau Schmidt needed to blink to make sure her eyes weren't being deceptive; but no, Maria had stood up to the Captain. Never in all her years of working in this house had Frau Schmidt ever seen anyone do something like that.

She could see her employer trying to regain his control over the governess, but when Frau Schmidt saw his shoulders sag slightly, despite being unable to hear the conversation, she knew Maria had gotten to him.

Then, she saw the Captain hesitate for a moment, as if listening to a sound far off in the distance. And Frau Schmidt had a pretty good idea what it was…

* * *

Maria had been talking about how she had been teaching the children to sing so they could sing something for the Baroness and as soon as the children had changed into their sailor uniforms and grabbed Maria's guitar, they had entered the parlour where their Uncle Max and the Baroness were relaxing and started to sing.

Frau Schmidt had to hand it to Maria; she had done an excellent job. The children sounded lovely, and she felt so happy when the Captain marched through the door and stood outside the parlour, listening to his children's voices, but she had not expected what happened next: for the Captain to enter the room and start singing along with them.

When he'd finished, all seven of them ran over and hugged him, which was when the housekeeper first noticed Maria lingering in the doorway and motion for Gretl to hand the Baroness a small bunch of edelweiss, before heading quickly for her bedroom.

Frau Schmidt was fearing the worst, until the Captain exited the parlour, and; if her ears were to be believed apologised to the younger woman, thanking her for bringing music back into the house, and asked her to stay.

* * *

"That Fraulein Maria," Frau Schmidt said to the Captain later that day. "really is something special."

"Yes," the Captain replied. "Yes, she is."


	4. Chapter 3

Despite how grand and glorious the Baroness claimed the party would be, it was quite clear that she was the only person excited about the event she insisted the Captain throw. The children had been excited early on, but the Baroness had made it very clear than she didn't want the children around; so when they learned they wouldn't be allowed to mingle with the guests; and neither would their governess, but rather watch from the courtyard, their interest had rapidly declined.

But the Baroness being the type of person that she was, she had insisted that if the children were to be anywhere during the party where guests would see them, no matter how briefly, they would all need brand new outfits. And so, early in the following week, she and the Captain took the children out shopping for new party clothes. Max had an appointment in town, looking for new musical talents to "exploit" as the Captain put it, so he had tagged along as well; leaving the house empty except for Frau Schmidt, Maria, Franz and the other staff.

* * *

As soon as the guest list had been finalised, Frau Schmidt had been given a copy. It was quite extensive, Baroness Schraeder being the socialite she was and so one glance at it told the housekeeper that more seating would need to be provided, so she headed up to the attic to retrieve the extra chairs that were stored up there.

She had not been up there long, when she heard footsteps creaking on the wooden floor behind her, and she turned around to see Maria.

"Hello Maria," the housekeeper said. "What are you doing up here? Knowing you I would've thought you would've stayed far away from cramped, dirty, dusty spaces such as this." She gestured around the tiny attic.

Maria laughed in her clear, musical voice. "Well yes," she admitted. "But the children aren't here at the moment and I saw you come up here and wondered if you needed any help moving the chairs."

Frau Schmidt smiled at the younger woman. "That would be lovely, thank you," she said. "I think there's some more chairs over in that corner, but you'll have to move a couple of boxes to get to them."

Maria nodded and set to work moving the boxes to gain access to the chairs packed into the furthest corner of the attic. When she set the final box down a breeze blew in through the window, blowing the flaps of the box open and revealing it's contents: a small peach-coloured party dress.

"Wow," said Maria her current task temporarily forgotten. "What a beautiful dress."

"Snooping?" asked the housekeeper, but her tone was light.

"No, no," said the governess. "The wind blew the top open and I looked down and saw how pretty this was."

"Yes," Frau Schmidt said. "The Captain bought that for Brigitta for the last party he threw. Just after-"

"Gretl was born." Maria finished. "Louisa told me. The poor child was so worried about this party. I feel so sorry for her."

"She really loves you, you know?" Frau Schmidt said. "They all do."

"I know."

* * *

Once all the required chairs had been collected and deposited in the hallway downstairs, Frau Schmidt and Maria set about putting all the boxes back in their original places. As Frau Schmidt placed a box down she caught a glimpse of it's contents and called out to her colleague. Maria came and knelt down beside the housekeeper and looked into the box, which contained another peach-coloured party dress, this one slightly larger. "Let me guess," she said. "He bought this one for Liesl."

Frau Schmidt nodded. Her eyes glazed over as she remembered that night.

"You know," Maria mused. "I bet the small dress would fit Marta. And the larger one is probably the right size for Brigitta now. I wonder if they'd like to wear these to the party instead."

* * *

Brigitta and Marta loved the idea, and it was only because the Captain liked the sound of it, that Baroness Schraeder agreed to let the girls wear clothes that had been collecting dust in the attic for five years instead of their brand new dresses. After hearing about her governess's idea, Louisa wanted to wear the dress her Aunt Hede had given her for Christmas last year; so in the end only Liesl, Gretl and the boys decided to wear their new outfits.

* * *

The other thing that the Baroness was insistent upon was that the party be held as soon as possible, and ever since she had suggested in on the night of the puppet show, the entire household had been thrown into chaos; particularly the staff. Frau Schmidt was making trips to places such as the attic, the cellar multiple times each day; as well as increased amounts of housekeeping, including prepare the remaining guest rooms for a few guests who would be staying overnight. Again that was at Baroness Schraeder's request; the Captain had no interest in anybody else staying at the villa.

In addition, Baroness Schraeder had been even more adamant that Frau Schmidt should not make an appearance on the night of the party; after all the only reason she was allowing Maria to hide in the shadows was because she was the children's governess and social protocol dictated the children be present at the party; even if it was only in the background. And everyone knew that she expected Maria to disappear as soon as the children had said goodnight.

* * *

Little did she know that that was not to be what happened at all...

* * *

**The bit about Louisa refers back to my story "Running Away From Memories", so feel free to read that if you are confused. **


	5. Chapter 4

"I don't feel like getting out of bed," Gretl whined softly, when Frau Schmidt pulled back the drapes of the girls bedroom; letting in the sunlight and trying to wake them up.

"Not without Fraulein Maria," Marta sobbed.

'Not without Fraulein Maria.' That was their answer to everything now. The two youngest were constantly crying, Brigitta had abandoned her books, Louisa hardly said a word, and Friedrich and Liesl sighed a lot and were gloomy all the time. She had yet to see Kurt turn down food because his governess wasn't around, but to the housekeeper it seemed like it wouldn't be that long before that happened.

But if the children were depressed about Maria's absence, it was nothing compared to what the Captain was feeling. The day he had returned from Vienna with Herr Detweiller and the Baroness, the day the children had re-entered his life, it seemed for a moment like he was happy again; like he had been before he'd lost his poor wife. And it was obvious to anyone that it wasn't because of Elsa Schraeder. From the day of his arrival he had had eyes for only one person: Fraulein Maria. And when she disappeared it was like it was like Baroness von Trapp's death all over again.

* * *

Yes, the whole of the von Trapp household was clearly mourning. All except the Baroness that was. She seemed perfectly fine with the fact that Maria had vanished into thin air; even though it meant the Captain was hardly paying any attention to her, and the children were miserable.

Max wasn't really worried one way or another; his main goal was still finding acts to perform at the Salzburg Folk Festival and he wasn't concerned about the whereabouts of a certain young governess; or the affect her absence had on his companions.

After about four days, it was clear to the housekeeper that Baroness Schraeder was beginning to feel neglected, and, quite honestly, who could blame her? The man she was supposedly courting, and was practically engaged to would lock himself in his study for hours on end, claiming he had urgent business matters to attend to.

But Frau Schmidt had been working for Captain von Trapp for almost twenty years. She knew that he could not possibly have as much work as he was claiming, even with the country in the state it was in.

Max and the Baroness, would spend their afternoons either out on the terrace or in the parlour, and would insist that the housekeeper go and fetch the Captain so they could enjoy his company.

Most times he refused when she knocked on the door of his study saying his guests requested his company. She knew it wasn't right for him to be ignoring Max and the Baroness like he was; and he was sure that he knew it wasn't appropriate; but it wasn't her place to question his actions. Regardless of how heartbroken he was, he was still he employer.

* * *

One evening, as the sun was setting, Frau Schmidt approached the Captain's study and knocked on the door. The Baroness had caught the housekeeper as she went to freshen up before dinner and commanded her to find the Captain and make sure he came out of his study this time. This was yet another reason she didn't like Baroness Schraeder; her overwhelming feeling of superiority over everyone who wasn't in the same social class as her, and the way she looked down on them.

* * *

"Come in," said a voice on the other side of the door.

Slowly she eased the door open and was immediately assaulted by the overwhelming stench of alcohol. The Captain was sprawled on the leather sofa, the top buttons of his shirt undone and his tie loosened. He had a bottle in his hand. No wonder the room smelled the way it did.

"Hello Lili," he said. She could see it wasn't easy for him to form coherent sentences. He'd been drinking himself silly. "What is it?"

"The Baroness has requested your company before dinner," she said. She was correct in assuming he would be annoyed at this; he rolled his eyes the second the words left her mouth. "And she insists you do come this time, rather than staying in here, drinking away your sorrows."

"Is it that obvious?" he said gloomily.

She nodded. "I'm afraid so, sir. I can see it in your face. You love her. You're miserable. But she's not here anymore. There's one fact I want you to face: you may never see her again. She was real this summer. If she doesn't come back, she'll never be real again. And you're not doing yourself any favours by locking yourself in here and numbing the pain."

"But that's just it," he said. "It's not working. I owe her everything; she brought music back into the house, reunited me with the children and opened up my mind to life. And as soon as I realised just how much she meant to me, she was pulled from my grasp. So now I'm trapped in a relationship I know I'll never be happy in, in a world that's disappearing. And there's nothing I can do about it."

* * *

In the end, the Captain did emerge from his study and went and sought out the Baroness and Max.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" he asked the Baroness, lightly kissing her hand. After days of feeling abandoned, the Baroness looked like a little child who had found out Christmas had come early. Or as close to that as someone like her could look.

Frau Schmidt watched from the second storey while she was doing her chores as the Captain led Baroness Schrader out across the yards, before dropping to one knee on the pavement in front of the lake.

The housekeeper sighed. She knew her employer was head over heels in love with the governess, but what she had said to him in the study was true; the likelihood of him ever seeing Maria again was so slim it may as well be non-existent.

She just hoped that what the Captain was doing would turn out to be the right thing. For everyone.


End file.
